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Episcopal Church plants seeds for 10 new ministries

February 22, 2021
Office of Public Affairs

Next round of grants now open

At its January meeting, the Episcopal Church Executive Council approved grants totaling $200,000 for new church starts and missional communities.

Resolutions A005 and A032 approved by General Convention in 2018 authorized the Task Force on Church Planting and Congregational Redevelopment to solicit and recommend grants for new and continued funding for new worshipping communities and missional enterprise ventures throughout The Episcopal Church. The resolutions particularly call on these new communities to connect with under-represented groups, including youth and young adults, differently abled persons, people identifying as members of LGBTQIA+ communities, people of color, people who are poor or members of the working-class, people with a high-school diploma or less education, and/or people with little or no church background or involvement.

“The sheer number of inquiries we receive about these grants is a real and vibrant sign of hope,”  said the Rev. Canon Janet Waggoner, who co-chairs the Task Force with the Rt. Rev. Allen Shin, “The challenges of the pandemic have only increased our imagination and longing to find new ways of loving neighbors and engaging with the work of the Spirit out in the world.”

Waggoner reports that the Executive Council approved funding for 10 projects in this round of grants.  The Task Force will offer feedback to applicants that did not receive funding, but who could be eligible in a future application cycle. She also noted that recipients are required to participate in a network of New Episcopal Community leaders, and to attend a Discerning Missional Leadership Retreat, during which these leaders receive feedback about their strengths for church planting work.

“The work of supporting New Episcopal Communities doesn’t begin or end with making grants,” said the Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers, staff officer for Church Planting for The Episcopal Church.  “We are partnering with dioceses to discern leaders with gifts for church planting, and to provide the ongoing support these ministries need in order to become healthy and resilient.”

Grants
The 10 initiatives approved include four Discernment Grants, three Seed Grants and four Growth Grants.  The initiatives, which are subject to their sponsoring dioceses having completed their 2020 assessment payments, are listed below, by category.

One-time Discernment Grants are for people discerning a call to start a new ministry. Funds can be used for assessment, research and feasibility studies. The maximum award in this category is $5,000.  The following applicants were awarded Discernment Grants, totaling $20,000:

  • Christ the Healer – Episcopal Diocese of Spokane – $5,000
  • Gethsemane Community – Episcopal Church in Minnesota – $5,000
  • Latinx Ministry Long Island – Episcopal Diocese of Long Island – $5,000
  • Park Community Table – Episcopal Diocese of Washington – $5,000

One-time Seed Grants fund initiatives that have gone through project discernment, including assessment and coaching. The maximum award in this category is $30,000. The following applicants were awarded Seed Grants, totaling $90,000.

  • Bethany House – Episcopal Diocese of Kansas – $30,000
  • Plantando Iglesias – Episcopal Diocese of Cuba – $30,000
  • San Cornelio – Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas – $30,000


Growth Grants fund initiatives that have gone through project discernment, including assessment and coaching and have demonstrated real progress in completing the process set forth in their Ministry Plan. These grants require significant and appropriate support from the local diocese. The maximum award in this category is $30,000. The following applicants were awarded Growth Grants, totaling $90,000:

  • CRECHE – Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts – $30,000
  • Saint Peter’s, Chelsea – Episcopal Diocese of New York – $30,000
  • Wild Church UP – Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan – $30,000

Harvest Grants fund initiatives at least two years into their project.  No Harvest Grants were awarded in this round of applications.

Next deadlines
The next deadline for grant applications will be March 15, 2021.  Application and grant criteria can be found in English here, in Spanish here, and also on The Episcopal Church Grants and Scholarships page. Please contact Rengers, 205-919-1438, for additional information.

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Amanda Skofstad

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